live from Millennium - Asia

[ghstudio]

a)Tendering in Bali is now possibly better with two large modern ferries doing the tendering plus three ship lifeboats…they say 45 minutes, but the ride is only about 20 minutes from ship to terminal. The remaining problem is that it seems to take about 30 minutes to load the ferries before they leave….so overall, the time can be almost 50 minutes while you sit there waiting for the boat to fill up. If you get a smaller lifeboat tender, it goes much quicker….luck of the draw.

b)AQUA special observation. Aqua cabins are under the main pool deck, just under the large overhang. We overnighted in Bali (as planned) and shuttles ran all night (hourly)…no problem until 6:45AM when they started to announce how to get tenders for day 2 on the PA system. Thoughtfully, they did not do the announcements in the halls, just on deck and public areas…but the PA is so loud around the pool that the announcement was clearly heard through our closed balcony door. So much for even trying to sleep a little late. This would only be a problem on an overnight stopover.

c) We’ve received two bottles of water each day in aqua whether or not we drank any from previous days.

d) Whoever designed the aqua glass shower doors should be either shot or forced to use them. There is absolutely no way to shower without getting water on the bathroom floor and soaking the floor mat. It’s actually not so much a problem, just an annoyance because the water does drain, but you are left with a soaked floor mat. There aren’t even any handles on the inside of the doors to make sure they are tightly closed. I’d call this an inconvenience. They have replaced the wet towels and rug each day….I guess it’s normal.

e) Blu continues to have excellent food with no wait for seating.

f) We tried select dining once again….looked like a good menu….better than blu. Still just one line going in, but it moved quickly. Food was as good as blu, in our opinion and it wasn’t noisy. We are going to change from aqua to balcony/concierge on our next cruise on the infinity.

g) The only consistently visible officer is the head of Housekeeping, a very nice gentleman. We just haven’t seen other officers walking around the ship. I wonder if this is a tone set by our captain who hasn’t been making his own daily announcements which is just so unlike any other celebrity ship we’ve been on.

i) I didn’t know they grow grapes and make wine in Bali..so I bought a bottle to bring on board and try on our second cruise (if they follow procedures, they would x-ray my bag, see the wine bottle and then keep it for us, returning it on the last night of this cruise to pack. Since we’re back to back, we would then have the bottle in our room to try during cruise 2 :). But…they put my bag through the x-ray machine and could care less that I had a bottle of wine…so it’s now in our stateroom. I’m not complaining…just observing that policy and procedure are at times, unrelated on Celebrity.

j) Casino was closed last night since we’re in port. I’m sure that saved me some money.

k) Ladies: there is a nice 115V hair dryer in the room, but much to my DW’s dismay, it is one of those where you have to hold the button in for it to stay on. She will bring her own on the next cruise…you might want to do the same.

l) on the eclipse, they asked aqua passengers each day if they wanted canapés the next day…if they wanted canapés or a cheese platter and what time they would like it. No such form on the Millenium….no mention of the cheese platter or alternate times to get the canapés (as always, if you aren’t in your cabin when they come, they don’t give you the canapés….so being able to pick the time was very nice.

m) Did I mention that the temperature is in the high 90’s and the humidity is 125%?

[emileg]

Good morning to you from a good evening for us. Really appreciate the update, Doug. See you on the second half.

[eldercruser]

Thanks again for the info and updates. Hope you plan to continue your updates while on the Feb 3 cruise. Will be interested to hear your observations of the Bangkok operation as well of the ports in Vietnam.

 

Jerry

[ghstudio]

No movies other than pay per view on tv. Two speakers...one astronomy and one port talks...not shopping.

 

Lombok is what we expected Bali to be

[ghstudio]

No movies other than pay per view on tv. Two speakers...one astronomy and one port talks...not shopping.

 

Lombok is what we expected Bali to be

 

Tendering is working well...but we have priority tendering....I can't comment on regular tendering.

 

The captain showed up at the captains club meet the officers event...didn't say anything and left. He's weird. Still no bartenders....you take what they offer. I don't like that...I want to see what they are pouring.

 

Everyone seems to be having problems with the ship Internet....it keeps dropping.

 

Housekeeping is pretty poor.....as is cleaning/bussing in eating areas. I think the tone of the ship is Good but they are leaderless. Hotel director is also a mystery person. Folks who are on their first celebrity cruise are saying that they won't take another celebrity cruise.its not up to princess or holland American in their opinion....and they are in suites.

 

Sitting at lunch right now with some folks....food not hot in dining room, lousy pillows....take a different m class ship....just some comments I've heard in the past 10 minutes.

[harz99]

Housekeeping is pretty poor.....as is cleaning/bussing in eating areas. I think the tone of the ship is Good but they are leaderless. Hotel director is also a mystery person. Folks who are on their first celebrity cruise are saying that they won't take another celebrity cruise.its not up to princess or holland American in their opinion....and they are in suites.

 

Sitting at lunch right now with some folks....food not hot in dining room, lousy pillows....take a different m class ship....just some comments I've heard in the past 10 minutes.

 

Thanks for the commentary; I have to hope that the Captain and HD etc change before we take this trip next year then!

[mum and son]

No movies other than pay per view on tv. Two speakers...one astronomy and one port talks...not shopping.

 

Lombok is what we expected Bali to be

 

That's odd... we had a channel that showed 3 different free movies each day - I think it was channel 23. Plus there were often movies on the satellite channels - and we had reception for those channels for almost the entire cruise.

 

There was a movie played in the Theatre on the last sea day after leaving Phuket but I'd never heard of it.

[ORDPLATAA]

m) Did I mention that the temperature is in the high 90’s and the humidity is 125%?

 

We are on the March 31st sailing out of Singpaore (a charter for Atlantis Events) and have booked a Cat A1 (stateroom 1114) for the cruise. Since this is one of the new cabins, have you heard how the air conditioning is working for these folks? Just thinking that, with really nothing above these cabins besides the basketball court, have these turned into little easy bake ovens?;)

[british betty]

Just as a guide to ladies (and men of course ;) ) regarding the hair dryer. I had the same problem on Silhouette in September, our first holiday without our own hairdryer. I put a hair band around the handle where the on/ off control is. Rolled it over the control to dry hair then rolled it down the handle when finished.

 

Mission accomplished :D

 

We board Millie on Feb 3rd, thanks for the updates Doug. Finding it difficult to contain our excitement now. :)

Edited January 27, 2013 by british betty
Oops

[ghstudio]

This cruise is incredibly smooth….almost no seas with very little feeling of motion.…of course that’s cruise specific….but perhaps we lucked out so far…..it’s wonderful. I think that some of my early observations were due to the large turnover of crew at the start of this cruise….some 100+. Let me give some current views:

 

a) Loud music around the pool…huh!! I’m sitting at the pool now and depending on where you sit you almost have to strain to hear the music, but it’s only 11am. Once noon hits, the volume seems to go up around the pool. Lots of quiet spaces to read/etc, if you want. Alas, the casino has apparently decided to play the boom/boom music on top of all the slot machines at night….so it was unbearably loud (to me) last night, so I voted with my money and I left.

b) The PA has definitely been turned down in perhaps a few steps. This morning’s PA announcement was much quieter than the one in Bali. Perhaps someone on board read my comment.

c) There is one line for select dining….but it does work with very little wait. This may be because there are just more tables with the addition of Blu and adding about ½ the tables on the other side of the second level to select. Service is a bit hurried…a bit more of eat and run vs a leisurely dinner. Some would call it very efficient..I think it’s a bit rushed, but that may be just me.

d) Blu is almost full for dinner, at least around 7:30 or so when we’re there. Service is good although a bit faster than I’ve become used to other ships. Much more organized than on the recent eclipse TA….coffee/juice/breakfast rolls appear quickly….fresh OJ is excellent. OK one negative on the food….my DW ordered pancakes this AM and they were probably the worst ever on any ship…..we think they may have been made earlier and warmed up….but my eggs were done perfectly, etc. Coffee is OK, but we go to the elite breakfast for cappuccino which is much better. Update: tried the pancakes fresh off the grill in the regular buffet and they were almost as bad…tasteless.

e) Elite breakfast….one of the spots where they don’t clean and reset tables adequately….actually, they do clean them, but don’t replace the settings. Seems a bit understaffed for the number of folks eating there…Bruce is helping clear tables and on top of things trying to get platters/juices refilled….to fill in for the missing folks staff.

f) Cruise director, Steve Gayda, is excellent….he gets the job done without trying to be the master comedian, etc..

g) Captain is now making his own announcements and walking around the ship with his officers in tow….he must have been sick.

h) Guest Services is extremely efficient…cudos to them. Excursion folks are well informed and helpful, future cruise guy is also helpful and visas seem not to be a problem.

i) More cudos to the friendly staff….everyone, even the painters, say hello.

j) Overcast day with a few sprinkles here and there…..many sitting around pool, but chaises available. Still many with things there but no people….and no one in the pool, so those folks have left the area….perhaps for lunch.

k) I don’t understand the lack of interest in the casino…very strange not to have at least one blackjack table full. I fear the craps croupiers may fall asleep and hit their heads on the table J

l) Didn’t the early M-class ships vibrate….I seem to remember they did….but there’s no vibration on the Millennium.

m) Entertainment. First time I’ve seen an accordion as one of the instruments in a string trio! Went to the show last night and it was OK. The magician/illusionist was quite good. The a capella singers lack a good bass. I feel sorry for the piano singer….that’s just a tough job playing to an empty bar…but she’s pretty good. We don’t focus on entertainment all that much, so don’t use me as a gauge.

n) Noticeable improvement: Canapés’, both in the cabin and in the elite cocktail event are quite a bit better than we’ve had on other ships this year.

o) Have I mentioned that the bathroom, at least in aqua class, now has a permanent nightlight on the wall……

p) Gala buffet: as usual, no announcement. They intentionally don’t announce it (I asked the head of the hotel). Swans were in back of the desserts and were sugar free. Ice sculptures, nicely done. For a ship so focused on preventing norovirus, it was hard to watch folks pick up fresh fruit, look at it and then put it back to look for a better fruit. Tongs were in the salad ingredients (not resting on the side…in the food), etc. It just wasn’t a good scene for those of us trying to avoid getting sick. The captain was walking around saying hello to folks.

q) 260 back to back cruisers going on the next cruise leg with us.

 

more later GH

[emileg]

Doug, glad to hear the captain is back. Is he the same captain who showed up briefly at the party? RMSSeadog suggested we are getting a new captain on Feb 3? Glad you find the ship a lot better than some recent reviewers have indicated. I trust your judgment. We leave in two days to join you. Thanks again for maintaining this thread.

[Briggers1]

Doug, glad to hear the captain is back. Is he the same captain who showed up briefly at the party? RMSSeadog suggested we are getting a new captain on Feb 3? Glad you find the ship a lot better than some recent reviewers have indicated. I trust your judgment. We leave in two days to join you. Thanks again for maintaining this thread.

 

Why do people need to see the captain , surely it doesn't effect your holiday , I would prefer him to be concentrating on making the ship run smoothly rather than walking around chatting to passengers .

I hope we don't meet him .

[vermonter16]

I didn't know that seeing the captain was a big thing. Guess I just assumed he should be up on the bridge most of the time.

[harz99]

Why do people need to see the captain , surely it doesn't effect your holiday , I would prefer him to be concentrating on making the ship run smoothly rather than walking around chatting to passengers .

I hope we don't meet him .

 

In my experience, the more visible the captain and senior officers, the better the ship runs. Keeps everyone on their toes, you see..............

[emileg]

Why do people need to see the captain , surely it doesn't effect your holiday , I would prefer him to be concentrating on making the ship run smoothly rather than walking around chatting to passengers .

I hope we don't meet him .

Good question. I think Doug was suggesting that the captain may have been conspicuous by his absence. When one has been on many cruises where the captain almost always introduces the senior staff the first or second night and every day gives a noontime report from the bridge, one may begin to become concerned when such normative behavior does not occur.

 

Other than that, captains vary considerably in their visibility, sociability and interactivity with the passengers.

[kwokpot]

Thanks for the updates, I'll be on the ship for the March 3rd sailing.

One question - how has the temperature been inside the ship? When I was on it in October '12, there were definitely problems cooling in many areas on the ship - the FIRST time ever I've experienced warm rooms on a cruise ship(usually it's the opposite with the AC on full blast).

 

In October I entered elevators that literally were HOT, as if there was heat on. We had Select dining, and several evenings we requested NOT to be seated in the rear left due to it being very warm and stuffy. It definitely was unusual being on a ship with AC issues. I hope that has cleared up.

[vermonter16]

In my experience, the more visible the captain and senior officers, the better the ship runs. Keeps everyone on their toes, you see..............

 

Good Point! Never thought of it that way.

[minmi]

something really important to remember is that alcohol based hand gels and sanitisers do not kill any gastro bugs. So iit is useless to use for outbreaks. Old fashioned hand hygiene with soap and water is what is should be used. Speaking as a nurse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

QUOTE=vermonter16;36784806]DH has very bad dry skin on his hands which causes his skin to split and even more so when using alcohol based cleaners on them. We are very up and up on not spreading germs or getting germs. He washes them very thoroughly before we leave the cabin and he doesn't touch the handrails, elevator buttons, etc. His doctor actually told him to stay away from it if he can. Now, in some circumstances - most definitely or if we haven't gone straight from the cabin to the dining facility. Some people don't mean to be rude or inconsiderate, they just shouldn't use it.....but, I have to agree - some people also just don't care. We care very much.

 

With that being said - thanks for the updates on Millie! We will be sailing her for an Alaskan cruise in May. So, no ordering from the MDR...does that mean I can not get escargot? Maybe I can have two tables going at one time....one in Blue and one in MDR ;)

[Moeve]

Why do people need to see the captain , surely it doesn't effect your holiday , I would prefer him to be concentrating on making the ship run smoothly rather than walking around chatting to passengers .

I hope we don't meet him .

 

Because believe it or not but it keeps the other crew on their toes. This is hotel industry and it is common knowledge that one cannot lead for the office. Capt. & hotel mang need to have their eyes & ears everywhere in order to catch things that are not up to standard and you simply cannot do that hiding in your office.

 

Big example is the one team on the Infinity. The two of them are around their ship day in and day out and this operation is a very good one. They see or hear something that isn't up to standard they can do something about it right away.

[ghstudio]

When the ship is in port for the day, the elevator areas do get very warm. When cruising everything seems to balance out.

 

Not a great deal of new news. Blu needs a new breakfast chef....eggs this am we're very overlooked and I've already commented on the pancakes. We have seen a great deal more of the officers in the past couple of days, including the captain. Blu dinners continue to be very good and not rushed. Casino continues to be empty. Party band is quite good, piano singer as well....can't be too positive on the a Capella group or the string quartet with the accordion. The ship and cabins seem cleaner...perhaps the 100+ new crew are learning. The flowers in our room are wilting and haven't been replaced. The shower is still winning.

 

Kuala Lumpur is a bit like Singapore but less beautiful parks....lots of tourist 'junk' for sale rather than handmade stuff in Bali. Not a fascinating stop.

 

For those joining the cruise 2/3, men, bring a blazer or suit even though smart casual is the dress code. I never actually wear a jacket on formal nights, but on this cruise almost everyone does, so even I succumbed.

[emileg]

... The ship and cabins seem cleaner...perhaps the 100+ new crew are learning. ...For those joining the cruise 2/3, men, bring a blazer or suit even though smart casual is the dress code. I never actually wear a jacket on formal nights, but on this cruise almost everyone does, so even I succumbed.

Maybe they are learning, but maybe the visible presence of the officers is helping as well. Good advice on the suits. We are leaving home 4:30 tomorrow morning. Thanks for a great job, or "brilliant" as our friends across the pond may say. See you on board.

Edited January 30, 2013 by emileg

[british betty]

At heathrow waiting for our Qantas flight to Singapore. :D

 

It's been very windy in the UK today, fingers crossed for a smooth flight.

[emileg]

At heathrow waiting for our Qantas flight to Singapore. :D

 

It's been very windy in the UK today, fingers crossed for a smooth flight.

We are also expecting a great deal of wind tomorrow. So far they show the flight leaving 16 minutes late tomorrow morning, but arriving and hour early. Go figure. I wish you a smooth journey and may the winds be with you.

[WhitsEnd]

I was just at the Vietnam Consulate in NY and they wanted to charge me 150pp for an overnight, multiple entry visa (need one "entry" per port). Does that sound right?

 

Emergency Services told me they do NOT issue visas on board?

 

Does anyone else have experience with this?

 

Yes

[kwokpot]

I was just at the Vietnam Consulate in NY and they wanted to charge me 150pp for an overnight, multiple entry visa (need one "entry" per port). Does that sound right?

 

Emergency Services told me they do NOT issue visas on board?

 

Does anyone else have experience with this?

 

It's been well documented on this forum as well as in the cruise documents that the ship sends you that the ship does indeed issue off the ship visas for $50/pp, not including the photo. So no point in doing it before hand, except for bringing your own passport photo.